Academic Writings
An Analysis of St. Anselm’s De Casu Diaboli in Light of the Evolution of Thought on the Conceptualization of Satan & Demons Throughout History
This paper will explore the evolution of the conceptions of Satan (the devil) and demons throughout the past 3,000 years in light of an in-depth study of St. Anselm of Canterbury’s medieval text, The Fall of Satan (De Casu Diaboli). Anselm’s brilliant work, De Casu Diaboli, has inspired much reflection into not just the nature of angels and demons but also into our own. It is worth noting that it is impossible to exhaustively cover a 3,000-year period on such a major topic, but a brief overview of the significant periods will be provided before focusing on De Casu Diaboli.
The Women in the Book of Proverbs: Woman Wisdom versus Woman Folly
The purpose of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the women in the book of Proverbs, with particular attention to the dynamics between Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly. The following themes will be explored concerning Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly: the variety of views on the origin of wisdom’s personification, Woman Wisdom as portrayed throughout wisdom literature outside of Proverbs, the “strange” woman and Woman Folly, the choice between Woman Wisdom and Woman Folly in Proverbs 9, a look at the good wife/woman of strength in Proverbs 30:10–31, some theological considerations, and finally some concluding remarks in an attempt to draw some threads between the multiplicity of subtopics concerning the women in Proverbs. It should be noted that although there will not be an in-depth examination of feminist interpretations, there will be mention of such methodologies throughout the paper. The bulk of this paper will focus on Proverbs 1–9 and 31:10–31.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s Unrelenting Nemesis: Wolfgang Smith and His Trenchant Critique of Teilhard’s “Scientific Theology”
This critical review focuses on Smith’s recent revision of his 1988 book, Teilhard and the New Religion: A Thorough Analysis of the Teachings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. Curiously, both the revised and original works have been largely ignored. Unfortunately, sometimes the best way to silence critics is to ignore them. This work will look into some of the primary concepts of Teilhard’s “scientific theology” and assess Smith’s evaluation, including evolution, the law of complexity and consciousness, the Creative Union, and the Omega Point.